Being Healthy - A Balanced Diet
A Balanced Diet
The Balance of Good Health translates the guidelines for healthy eating into practical Balanced Dietadvice that is easy to follow.
The balance of Good Health identifies
5 main food groups:
• Bread, other cereals and potatoes
• Fruit and vegetables
• Meat, fish and alternatives
• Milk and dairy products
• Fatty and sugary foods
The pie chart shows what foods are included in each food group and the proportion each food group should contribute towards a healthy diet. A diet based on the Balance of Good Health recommendations will provide all the nutrients needed for health and well being.
Bread other cereals and potatoes
The Balance of Good Health shows clearly that one third of our diet should be made up of starchy foods like bread, cereals, pasta, rice and potatoes.
A diet with plenty of fibre in it is thought to reduce our risk of some cancers. Choose foods that contain more fibre, eg Wholemeal bread and pasta, Brown rice, whole grain breakfast cereals, Potatoes in their skins.
Be careful how you prepare and cook these foods. Try not to make them less healthy by adding fat. So don't spread too much butter on your bread for example. Don't have fried starchy foods like chips, too often and limit rich sauces on pasta.
Fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables should also make up one third of our diet. After stopping smoking, the second most effective way to reduce the risk of most cancer is to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. These should be of a wide variety because different fruit and vegetables are rich in different nutrients
A portion is 80g / 3 tablespoons or an adult handful. You can include fresh, frozen, tinned and dried fruit and vegetables. 100% fruit juice counts too.
Be careful how you prepare and cook fruit and vegetables. Fruit is not so healthy if you add sugar to it and cover it with cream! Adding a rich cheese sauce to vegetables like cauliflower will make them less healthy too.
Try to eat fruit and vegetables at every meal and eat them as snacks as well. A glass of fruit juice every day is an easy way to get one of your portions and if you ever make casseroles or stews add plenty of vegetables.
Meat Fish and Alternatives
Meat fish, eggs, pulses, nuts and meat alternatives like soya mince and Quorn provide important nutrients including iron and should be eaten in moderate amounts
Try to eat at least 2 portions of fish a week and make one of them an oily fish. Oily fish are rich in omega 3 fatty acids which may protect against heart disease and have other health benefits related to the brain and the joints.
Cut down on processed meat products like burgers and sausages which are high in fat and avoid fatty cuts of meat. Choose the leanest cut of meat you can afford and make it go further using pulses and vegetables in dishes such as casseroles.
Milk and dairy products
These foods are a good source of calcium needed for strong bones and teeth. So try to have 3 portions a day.
Choose lower fat dairy products such as semi skimmed or skimmed milk whenever you can.
Foods containing fat, sugar, and salt
Eating too much fat and sugar can lead to weight gain and also increase your risk of heart disease and cancer. When foods containing sugar are eaten too often they can lead to tooth decay.
• Limit the amount of sugar added to hot drinks, cereals etc.
• Only have high sugar foods like sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cakes and fizzy and soft drinks as treats and only have them at mealtimes. This will limit how often sugar is in contact with the teeth and reduce your risk of tooth decay.
• Limit the amount of fat used for spreading and cooking.
• Have high fat foods, especially processed foods like cakes, biscuits, pastries and savoury snacks only as treats.
As well as watching how much fat you eat, look also at the type of fat you eat; too much saturated fat can increase your risk of heart disease so try to avoid full fat dairy products and fatty cuts of meat; limit your use of margarine, butter and oils and don't eat too many processed foods.
Fats which are rich in monounsaturates such as olive oil and rapeseed oil and those rich in polyunsaturates such as sunflower oil and corn oil are better for our hearts and for our health in general - so choosing small amounts of these fats is preferable.
Many of the processed foods that contain a lot of fat and sugar also contain a lot of salt. So by cutting down on these foods you will reduce your intake of salt too. Salt contains sodium and a high intake of sodium raises your blood pressure which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Getting out of the habit of adding salt to food at the table and avoiding using it in cooking will also help to reduce your intake.
The Balance of Good Health translates the guidelines for healthy eating into practical Balanced Dietadvice that is easy to follow.
The balance of Good Health identifies
5 main food groups:
• Bread, other cereals and potatoes
• Fruit and vegetables
• Meat, fish and alternatives
• Milk and dairy products
• Fatty and sugary foods
The pie chart shows what foods are included in each food group and the proportion each food group should contribute towards a healthy diet. A diet based on the Balance of Good Health recommendations will provide all the nutrients needed for health and well being.Bread other cereals and potatoes
The Balance of Good Health shows clearly that one third of our diet should be made up of starchy foods like bread, cereals, pasta, rice and potatoes.
A diet with plenty of fibre in it is thought to reduce our risk of some cancers. Choose foods that contain more fibre, eg Wholemeal bread and pasta, Brown rice, whole grain breakfast cereals, Potatoes in their skins.
Be careful how you prepare and cook these foods. Try not to make them less healthy by adding fat. So don't spread too much butter on your bread for example. Don't have fried starchy foods like chips, too often and limit rich sauces on pasta.
Fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables should also make up one third of our diet. After stopping smoking, the second most effective way to reduce the risk of most cancer is to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. These should be of a wide variety because different fruit and vegetables are rich in different nutrients
A portion is 80g / 3 tablespoons or an adult handful. You can include fresh, frozen, tinned and dried fruit and vegetables. 100% fruit juice counts too.
Be careful how you prepare and cook fruit and vegetables. Fruit is not so healthy if you add sugar to it and cover it with cream! Adding a rich cheese sauce to vegetables like cauliflower will make them less healthy too.
Try to eat fruit and vegetables at every meal and eat them as snacks as well. A glass of fruit juice every day is an easy way to get one of your portions and if you ever make casseroles or stews add plenty of vegetables.
Meat Fish and Alternatives
Meat fish, eggs, pulses, nuts and meat alternatives like soya mince and Quorn provide important nutrients including iron and should be eaten in moderate amounts
Try to eat at least 2 portions of fish a week and make one of them an oily fish. Oily fish are rich in omega 3 fatty acids which may protect against heart disease and have other health benefits related to the brain and the joints.
Cut down on processed meat products like burgers and sausages which are high in fat and avoid fatty cuts of meat. Choose the leanest cut of meat you can afford and make it go further using pulses and vegetables in dishes such as casseroles.
Milk and dairy products
These foods are a good source of calcium needed for strong bones and teeth. So try to have 3 portions a day.
Choose lower fat dairy products such as semi skimmed or skimmed milk whenever you can.
Foods containing fat, sugar, and salt
Eating too much fat and sugar can lead to weight gain and also increase your risk of heart disease and cancer. When foods containing sugar are eaten too often they can lead to tooth decay.
• Limit the amount of sugar added to hot drinks, cereals etc.
• Only have high sugar foods like sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cakes and fizzy and soft drinks as treats and only have them at mealtimes. This will limit how often sugar is in contact with the teeth and reduce your risk of tooth decay.
• Limit the amount of fat used for spreading and cooking.
• Have high fat foods, especially processed foods like cakes, biscuits, pastries and savoury snacks only as treats.
As well as watching how much fat you eat, look also at the type of fat you eat; too much saturated fat can increase your risk of heart disease so try to avoid full fat dairy products and fatty cuts of meat; limit your use of margarine, butter and oils and don't eat too many processed foods.
Fats which are rich in monounsaturates such as olive oil and rapeseed oil and those rich in polyunsaturates such as sunflower oil and corn oil are better for our hearts and for our health in general - so choosing small amounts of these fats is preferable.
Many of the processed foods that contain a lot of fat and sugar also contain a lot of salt. So by cutting down on these foods you will reduce your intake of salt too. Salt contains sodium and a high intake of sodium raises your blood pressure which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Getting out of the habit of adding salt to food at the table and avoiding using it in cooking will also help to reduce your intake.